Labor -- The New American Job

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 17, 2015

Ride service Uber has become unanticipated surrogate for both Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls; after leading era of on-demand economy, Uber has taken spotlight in debate between liberals and conservatives over future of work, obligations of business owners and necessity of workplace regulation. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo announces new statewide, multiagency task force to investigate worker exploitation and abuse in number of industries, including restaurants, child care services and carwashes. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

The Upshot; Jeb Bush's comment that Americans must work longer hours to meet his goal of 4 percent economic growth is seen as gaffe, although notion is not unthinkable; economists debate feasibility of longer workweek. MORE

Jul. 13, 2015

Rise of Uber and other elements of the so-called 'Gig-economy' highlights both benefits and concerns as growing number of Americans turn to freelancing, contracting and temporary jobs to make ends meet; new, more flexible workplace arrangements offer promise of greater efficiency, but also diminished power of labor unions, lack of benefits and persistent anxiety about long-term financial prospects; trends help account for why wages have stagnated even as overall economy has recovered from recession (Series: A Shifting Middle). MORE

Jul. 13, 2015

Op-Ed article by Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz and his wife Sheri announces that their family foundation will commit $30 million to help underprivileged young people enter and ascend in workforce; observes that some 5.6 million Americans between age 16 and 24 remain unemployed and outside school, situation devastating both for their own lives and for American economy; notes program will provide jobs, internships and apprenticeships to 100,000 young people over next three years MORE

Jul. 13, 2015

Almost twenty large American corporations introduce plan to find jobs for 100,000 unemployed young people over next three years; 100,000 Opportunities Initiative is being launched by Starbucks and its chief executive Howard Schultz. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

Ron Lieber Your Money column suggests that best summer jobs for teenagers involve being bank teller or working at credit union, as they combine practical financial knowledge with interpersonal communications; notes that more than two-thirds of teenagers do not work summer jobs, a record low, because those jobs cannot be found. MORE

Jul. 7, 2015

Joe Nocrea Op-Ed column praises ideas put forward by Prof Zeynep Ton about how companies can be competitive while offering good jobs to their employees, detailed in book The Good Jobs Strategy; suggests that Ton's research is especially trenchant at time when there is heightened worry about availability and number of good middle-class jobs. MORE

Jul. 7, 2015

Institute for Supply Management reports its services index rose to 56 in June, from 55.7 in May, due to business activity and new orders increasing. MORE

Jul. 4, 2015

Ron Lieber Your Money column notes share of 16- to 19-year-olds who are working during summer has fallen by 40 percent since 2000 to new low; less than one-third of American teenagers work in summer job, due to factors that include lack of time, adult competition for jobs or simple lack of opportunity. MORE

Jun. 28, 2015

The Upshot; Tyler Cowen Economic View column examines research on so-called 'sharing economy,' citing evidence that Uber drivers earn more than traditional taxi drivers and that Airbnb rentals are subsidizing middle-class incomes; observes that while efficiencies of sector are robust, emerging roles are disproportionately going to those with college degrees, depriving less-educated workers of some traditional jobs. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

Farhard Manjoo State of the Art column observes some Silicon Valley start-ups are avoiding independent contractor system, like Uber uses with its drivers, and instead are hiring people for better servce; their initial success is promising for on-demand companies offering stable work. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

California Labor Commissioner's Office rules Barbara Ann Berwick, former driver for ride-hailing service Uber, should be classified as an employee, not an independent contractor; says she should be reimbursed more than $4,000; decision adds to debate over work that on-demand companies, some of fastest-growing in Silicon Valley, are creating. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Jun. 11, 2015

Michael Adams, owner and chief executive of Moog Music synthesizer company, announces employee-ownership plan that gives workers, who manufacture instruments by hand in Asheville, NC, factory, stake in company that is now more profitable than ever. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Labor Dept reports job openings rose 5.2 percent to seasonally adjusted 5.4 million in April; report from National Federation of Independent business indicates small business confidence rose to five-month high in May; data shows economy that is gaining momentum after stumbling in early 2015. MORE

Jun. 8, 2015

Rachel L Swarns The Working Life column profiles Zahra Cheema, observant Muslim lawyer who wears hijab and other traditional religious clothing at work; notes Cheema, who has encountered professional obstacles because of her garb, has opened her own firm specializing in immigration and family law. MORE

Jun. 6, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Jennifer Finney Boylan extols benefits of having mindless job in one's youth; says having series of low-level jobs imparts sense of class privilege and builds character. MORE

Jun. 6, 2015

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting employers added 280,000 jobs in May, well over numbers from same period year earlier, eases concerns about growth of economy, but official unemployment rate rises slightly to 5.5 percent. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Commerce Dept reports drop in United States trade deficit to $40.9 billion from March's revised deficit of $50.6 billion; ADP reports private employers hired 201,000 new workers in May, most since January. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Mississippi Corrections Dept announces it will end program that paid counties to use prison inmates as free labor for local governments, change that has been instituted in other states over similar concerns about state budgets; change in Mississippi will begin in August and leaves local governments scrambling to figure out how to fund and replace lost labor. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Brittany Bronson Op-Ed article ponders future of her students, who attend University of Nevada, noting many of them are likely to face future of indefinite underemployment; observes that they are largely working class students forced to take advantage, because of economic conditions in Las Vegas, of in-state tuition costs, with course selections shaped more by immediate financial concerns than by hopes and dreams. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Companies, in attempt to control costs, are evolving from annual pay raises for employees to one-time bonuses and nonmonetary rewards; impact on workers is drastic since yearly salary increases compound over time. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Comedy Central's Daily Show host Jon Stewart reveals that, for past three years, he has run five-week boot camp for military veterans, training them for jobs in television; Stewart kept project low key but says that now, after deciding to leave Daily Show, he wants project to become visible in hopes that others in industry will follow his example. MORE

May. 25, 2015

Rachel L Swarns The Working Life column laments fact that many of New York City's lower-paid workers are unable to take time off to care for relatives in need; gives example of museum security guard DeBorah Palmer, whose adult brother Stevie has autism; notes bill championed by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito that would require employers to accommodate such situations. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Jim Dwyer About New York Column commends New York Gov Andrew Cuomo for efforts to improve working conditions and wage protections for nail salon employees, but holds that much more must be done for exploited immigrant workers in all sectors. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column contends the presidential candidates are avoiding commitments on major issues at a time of unprecedented disruption in technology, economics and international relations; examines how tech sector is transforming international trade, and could potentially upend labor market in US and abroad; holds future is happening whether candidates are willing to address it or not. MORE

May. 19, 2015

Some firms are utilizing talent swaps, foreign assignments in which employees in same company from different countries temporarily switch jobs; swaps, which generally last less than year, can entail less paperwork and expense than traditional expatriate assignments. MORE

May. 15, 2015

Jobs creation program Start-Up New York has resulted in 76 jobs in first full year of operation from 30 new mostly small businesses; effort has cost tens of millions of dollars; state officials say program will lure bigger businesses. MORE

May. 13, 2015

National Federation of Independent Business reports that its Small Business Optimism index rose 1.7 points to 96.9 in April, supporting opinions that economic growth is rebounding after poor first quarter; Labor Department reports that job openings slipped 150,000 to five million in March, though openings remain 18.6 percent above year-earlier period. MORE

May. 10, 2015

Adam Davidson On Money column holds American economy is gradually shifting toward project-based 'Hollywood model' in which skilled teams are assembled for specific projects, and away from long-term, open-ended jobs; contends model is not only beneficial to employers, but also to workers, particularly those with sought-after skills. MORE

May. 9, 2015

May. 8, 2015

Pres Obama plans to visit Nike headquarters in order to make speech supporting Trans-Pacific Partnership; choice has shocked labor activists and others who see company as prime symbol of exploitative globalization; Obama is expected to make an announcement that might include a commitment by Nike concerning jobs it could create in United States if trade agreement is finally ratified. MORE

Apr. 30, 2015

Isolated rural town Beatrice, Neb, has lost much of its manufacturing jobs, but its economic anchor is now Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center; many small towns have attracted hospitals and other health care facilities to help them survive (Series: A Shifting Middle). MORE

Apr. 22, 2015

Unskilled and semiskilled Chinese workers are struggling to find better employment in country's inefficient job market; many have sought new work amid urbanization and decline in agriculture jobs, but overstressed manufacturing sector and soaring university enrollment have resulted in lopsided supply and demand; issue presents critical test for nation's policy makers as they seek to maintain economic growth. MORE

Apr. 19, 2015

Zeynep Tufekci Op-Ed article warns that advances in software and robotics will not only take away low-wage jobs, but also will shift balance of power in workplace in favor of employers; suggests that standard response of urging people to learn more skills will not address problem, and that true solution requires examination of how humans value one another. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

New York Atty Gen Eric Schneiderman's office is investigating 13 retailers, including Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Target and J Crew, for possible violations of state labor laws; says it is responding to complaints about how companies schedule work shifts and whether they are paying employees appropriately for cancelled hours. MORE

Apr. 12, 2015

The Upshot; Sendhil Mullainathan Economic View column examines fact that large proportion of elite economics majors and other bright young minds choose to pursue careers in finance; argues that trend can have a draining effect on nation and its economy when such graduates go on to simply move money from one place to another, but suggests that are still many ways in which financiers can make world a better place. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

Labor Dept report finds job openings urged 3.4 percent to 14-year high of 5.1 million in February; could signal rebound in hiring following weak March jobs report. MORE

Apr. 4, 2015

Labor Dept reports that employers added 126,000 jobs in March 2015, ending yearlong streak of robust monthly job creation; analysts point to winter weather and low oil prices as combination that affected spending, but suggest that economy will likely regain its momentum. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Alexandra Levit Preoccupations column examines emergence of so-called 'Generation Z,' whose members are younger than millennials; observes that group is coming of age in a healthier economy, exhibiting strong sense of independence, curiosity, maturity and drive; holds that employers both large and small will have to rethink their recruiting practices in order to attract best of group. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Adam Davidson On Money column pinpoints flaw in way people think about issue of immigration and its effects on economy and labor, namely that there is fixed labor demand; notes that very few people even among those who are pro-immigration have called for radically open United States borders, which economic analysis has shown would benefit nearly everyone. MORE

Mar. 22, 2015

The Ethicists column panel answers questions about divulging a minor's confidence to her parents, disclosing a manager's act of bringing children to the workplace to her boss and withholding fact that one is pregnant to a prospective employer. MORE

Mar. 21, 2015

Obama administration announces it will give $200 million in grants to 10 states participating in projects aimed at helping food stamp recipients find jobs; pilot program is part of larger effort to reduce food stamp program rolls, which have grown to nearly 50 million Americans. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Carol Giacomo Editorial Observer examines economic plight in rural Indian village of Bhesda Khurd; notes that young people in village are increasingly despondent about finding work, problem that is endemic to rural areas throughout country; notes that only 10 percent of workers in country of 1.2 billion have steady jobs with legal protections, monumental problem as Prime Min Narendra Modi pursues policy of economic growth. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Community colleges in Texas and the Gulf Coast region are servicing surge in demand for welders, pipe fitters and other types of skilled labor that had once seemed doomed to obsolescence; insistent hunger for welders in particular has led to unusually close partnership between booming energy industry and local vocational schools (Series: A Shifting Middle). MORE

Mar. 9, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column argues American economy has entered phase of job creation and low inflation reminiscent of unprecedented period between 1995 and 2005; argues Federal Reserve should be cautious about raising interest rates, as economy could potentially generate millions more jobs before it begins to truly overheat. MORE

In the face of global warming concerns and cheaper natural gas, coal production has dropped 15 percent in the United States since 2008. As the industry crumbles, West Virginia’s economy has been hit hard.